As a method for enabling efficient use of the power consumed in an electric lamp such as an incandescent lamp and a tungsten halogen lamp, there has been proposed providing an infrared reflection film on a surface of a bulb of the electric lamp so that infrared light, which accounts for 70% to 80% of the radiant energy, is selectively reflected by the infrared reflection film and converged on a filament portion of the electric lamp to heat the filament coil while visible light emitted from the lamp is transmitted through the bulb (e.g., Journal of Illuminating Engineering Society, pp.197-203, July 1980).
A practical-level electric lamp consuming 20% to 30% less power as compared with an electric lamp providing the same intensity of illumination (total luminous flux) has been realized by allowing the filament coil of the electric lamp to be reheated by the infrared light that is selectively reflected by the infrared reflection film and effectively converged on the filament coil after being emitted from the filament coil owing to a suitable shape of the bulb.
A general method for forming such an infrared reflection film includes sputtering, various evaporation methods, etc. For the purpose of reducing the ratio of the infrared light escaping from the bulb as heat rays and/or transmitting only visible light selectively while reflecting as much infrared light as possible effectively, an optical-film-forming technique for forming, as a visible/infrared filter, an interference multilayer film having a laminated structure including at least one transparent dielectric thin film having a high refractive index and at least one transparent dielectric thin film having a low refractive index has been used. In this case, the difference between the actual thickness and the desired thickness of the respective optical thin films, which are formed on the bulb typically having a three-dimensional spheroid shape, needs to be sufficiently small, and also, the thickness distribution of the respective optical thin films needs to be sufficiently small so that the resultant optical filter has a wavelength selectivity.
In the interference multilayer film as described above, not only the precise thickness of the respective optical thin films but also materials used for the respective optical films are important for efficient infrared reflection. When the interference multilayer film is formed by sputtering under the general film-forming condition, i.e., by using either Ar gas or a mixed gas of Ar gas and O2 gas as a sputtering gas, there arises a problem that an interface or a surface of a resultant thin film becomes rough so that infrared light cannot be reflected sufficiently effectively. More specifically, infrared light is diffused by the rough interface or surface of the interference multilayer film when reflected, thereby preventing the infrared light from being converged on the firmament coil effectively, resulting in the reduced infrared-reflection efficiency. On the other hand, while a CVD method allows a thin film whose interface or surface is less rough to be obtained easily, it has many problems such that the absolute value of the thickness of a resultant thin film is not always controlled sufficiently; a base on which a thin film is to be formed needs to be heated; and, when forming a multilayer film including different types of thin films, different gases and film-forming conditions need to be used depending on the types of the thin films.
The preset invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for forming a thin film whose interface or surface is less rough on a base including a spheroid shape by sputtering and to provide an electric lamp provided with this thin film.